The Basics of Life
by Bogren
Summary: Leo and Aeris go through life one day at a time, quickly realizing they may have feelings for each other.    Characters property of Scott Ramsoomair
1. Prologue

**The Basics of Life**

**Prologue**

She couldn't believe it. Everything happened so fast and yet it felt so slow. It seemed like it lasted forever, and she wished it had. All that had happened over the past few days, or was it weeks, seemed to have worked perfectly only to climax at this one moment. She never expected it to happen, she wasn't even sure it wanted it to. But now she was sure. When Aeris woke up she wasn't in her room or in her bed and, strangest of all, it was next to him. And as if only to make the thoughts running through her head even more confusing, she loved him.

**I know this chapter is short, but it is just the prologue. I'll make a dedicated effort to update this story once a week. This is my first story on my own so I would love lots of commentary and reviews.**

**~Bogren**


	2. Chapter 1: Stability

**Chapter 1**

**Stability**

Aeris POV

The snow was crunching under her feet. Aeris was walking home after another day of work. It had started to snow while she was there and wasn't showing any sign of letting up. The streets of Toronto were empty except for the occasional car.

She stepped inside the front door to their apartment building. It was warm inside, something one takes for granted until they have to walk the streets of Canada in the dead of winter. She walked up the stairs, taking each one at a time. Two floors later she was in front of her own apartment. Quietly, Aeris opened the door, careful not to wake her roommate, Leo. It was almost eleven and he would be asleep in his room by now.

The room was quiet. She slowly walked into the kitchen and put her bag down. The TV was on and Leo was asleep on the couch, again. Aeris became a little annoyed, he had to leave the house at 8 in the morning so he wouldn't be late for work again. She turned off the TV and kicked the couch. Leo jerked violently and fell on the floor.

"Ow!... Oh, hi Aeris. You're home late."

"I know, GameShop was busy so they asked me to stay. God knows we need the money." 

"Yea, I guess I'll head to bed now that you're home."

"It's 11 and you have work at 8. Come on Leo, you're lucky you even have this job. I…no… we need you to hold onto it. Money is tight and the rent is going up again."

"I know, I know. I just can't stand working there. A gas station at minimum wage, what could be more boring than a gas station?"

"I don't know Leo, I'm still try to get the manager to take you back. Maybe he will at least write something nice about you if you apply somewhere else. Now go to bed."

Leo got up and shuffled over to his room, shutting the door behind him. Aeris just stood there thinking. _I want to help him get a job somewhere else. The poor guy hates where he is now. The problem is he can't hold down a good job. All he does is anger someone important and get fired. Maybe I can at least help him a new job at BestStop. It's all electronics, he'd like that. I guess I can talk to him about that tomorrow, right now I just want to play something until I'm so tired my reaction time is too long to measure._

Aeris walked to her room and turned on her computer. She didn't need to work Sundays so she played Unreal Tournament. _If it's this late now it must be morning in Korea. Time to kick some Korean ass. _**(No offence to Koreans, you guys are all cool in my book.) **

The Next Day:

Leo POV

Leo's alarm starting going off at 7:30 in the morning. He just laid there for about ten minutes before he could force himself to get up. _Another day of work. I don't want to go but I don't want to let Aeris down…again. _He put the first set of clothes he could find, which were likely dirty, and left without making a single sound. He didn't want to wake Aeris because he knew Sunday was the only day she had the morning off and she likes to sleep in.

The station where Leo worked was roughly a ten minute drive from their apartment. He took the blue sedan that he shares with Aeris and drove there, expecting yet another glorious five hours of boredom. Unfortunately for Leo, he was right.

Aeris' POV

_Finally, the one day of the week I'm not woken up by an alarm or Leo. _Aeris woke up around 10 AM. She didn't hear Leo leave, which surprised her. Usually he is so loud that he wakes her up. It was a nice surprise to sleep so late without interruption. She got out of bed and walked into the kitchen, still in her pajamas. _Breakfast time. Why not treat my day off to a nice start. An omelet sounds nice._ Aeris cracked a few eggs into a pan and made herself what seemed like the greatest omelet she ever made. The smell in the apartment was heavenly. She sat down at the table and enjoyed her simple meal. _So, Leo is at work and I have the day off. He won't be back until after 1 so I have the apartment to myself until then. _

After taking care of her dishes Aeris walked into their living room. There they had a nice TV with an xbox, ps3, and wii. She put Final Fantasy into the xbox and began to play. _I hope Leo is having a good day at work. When he doesn't, I never hear the end of it._

The next five hours passed fairly quickly. Leo came home at about 1:15 as usual and it was instantly clear he didn't enjoy work that day.

"You know the phrase 'The customer is always right'? Well it's one of the biggest lies ever told, right behind 'She told me she was 18.' What kind of idiot tries using a gas pump that says 'out of order' on it? Aeris, I will do anything to get a new job."

"Fine, we'll go out looking today. The mall is open today so we can start there. Maybe they will take you back at GameShop, if they don't we can try BestStop. I'm sure someone will hire you."

"I don't know Aeris, I just don't know."

"Come on Leo, for me. We need money and I don't make enough We'll go and just apply to a few places. Otherwise you're stuck at the station."

"I guess I can't argue with you. I'll drive."

The two took their car and drove to the mall. First they went to GameShop. When they talked to the manager he asked to speak to Aeris alone while Leo played the guitar hero demo in the store.

"You do know why we fired him, right?"

"It was a misunderstanding, I was there."

"Aeris, he yelled at a customer. I was there too."

"Yea, well that customer had it coming. He was getting mad because he couldn't return a game after the warranty expired. That guy was a jerk and Leo put him in his place."

"You know as well as I do that I'm friends with Leo and didn't want to see him go, but I had no choice. It's store policy and he broke the rules."

"Work with me Dennis. He needs a job and where he's working now won't cut it. I don't even make enough money to pay the rent, never mind food and stuff. Leo needs a job that actually pays."

"My hands are tied Aeris. What do you want me to do?"

"If he applies somewhere else, will you be a reference? Tell them he was a great employee, and when they ask why he was fired say that you had to get rid of someone and he drew the short straw. It doesn't matter, just make sure that they will hire him."

"Fine Aeris, I'll do that. My credibility will be on the line, so make sure he doesn't screw up."

"Thank you so much Dennis. I'll bring you coffee next time I work in the morning."

Aeris ran back just in time to see Leo get a high score in the demo. _He better not screw this up or Dennis might fire me too._

"Come on Leo, you're going to get a job at BestStop. Dennis said he would help."

They walked down the length of the mall until they came to BestStop. The store was massive and almost all electronics. It was Leo's favorite store after GameShop.

"OK Leo. Go over to customer service and they'll give you an application. I'll be looking at games."

"Don't worry Aeris, I won't let you down."

Leo walked off with an extreme sense of purpose. _Please get this job Leo._ He came back after a few minutes and they left the mall together.

"So what now?"

"I guess we just wait. They won't even look at your application until tomorrow."

"Well I'm starving, can we stop and get some food? I'm thinking pizza."

"I have a better idea. Tonight you eat whatever we have back home, then tomorrow if they call and give you an interview we can get pizza."

"So in other words, 'No Leo. You can not have any pizza!'"

"Damn it Leo. Don't argue. I feel like your mother sometimes. Let's just go home, make dinner, and play some xbox."

"Fine…"

**Times are tough my friends. Even Leo and Aeris could use some extra money. I hope Leo gets that job because he needs it. And I'm sorry but the first couple of chapters will be a bit boring. I love detail and filling in the plot so I'm going to do a little bit of background like this. But don't worry, the story will pick up quickly.**

**For future reference: Italics means that it's a character's thoughts, Bold means it's an author's note/chapter name, and if something is in parentheses it's a side note. That means it isn't directly related to the story but provides information that would be difficult otherwise, such as an author's note or if a character is talking in a certain way that wouldn't be obvious. **

**Also, when I write I'll use a lot of detail. If it seems like the story is just being dragged on I apologize. Just leave a comment telling me. Everything people say in reviews I'll read over and consider. **

**Thanks for reading another chapter, please review, and I love you. **

**~Bogren**


	3. Chapter 2: Waist Deep in a Creek

**I felt bad because my first full chapter was a bit on the boring side. So to make it up to those of you who are actually reading this I decided to double time this chapter. (Write it and have it posted sooner) It's a bit longer than the last and I put more story in it. I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter 2**

**Waist deep in a creek we're all familiar with**

Aeris and Leo arrived at the apartment late in the evening.

"I'm telling you, Donkey Kong is the best Mario Kart character. He's big and he's a monkey, you can't beat that."

"No, you're wrong. It's Yoshi!"

"Aeris Aeris Aeris, how many times do I have to tell you I don't know how to be wrong?"

"Leo, you're an idiot and you're always wrong."

Aeris opens the door to let herself in but shuts it in Leo's face and leaves it locked.

"Ummm... Aeris, I think you accidentally locked me out."

"No I didn't."

"Well the door is locked and…oh, you did it on purpose. Can you unlock it, please?"

"I will later, once you stop being an idiot."

Leo continues to complain but Aeris just ignores him and starts dinner. _I just don't know what to do with him. He's a great guy but God is he annoying. Well, if he gets that job then at least we'll have a stable income and we'll be able to afford decent food._ A few minutes pass during which Aeris can hear Leo in the hall._ Dinner is ready. I guess I'll go get Leo._ Aeris opens the door and Leo runs into the apartment.

"Not cool Aeris, not cool."

"Calm down and eat your supper. We're having pasta tonight."

"Sure, but you also promised xbox."

"Yea, I'll go turn it on."

Leo and Aeris sat down on the couch next to each other and played a few of their favorite games. Leo got into the game and stopped paying attention to the rest of the world. Aeris, however, found herself drifting off. She yawned, trying to continue, but the controller slipped from her hand. Leo kept playing, not noticing the sleeping Aeris next to him until she slowly slid onto his lap.

_Did she just put her head on my lap! Aeris never even touches me unless she is going to punch me. Wait, what the Hell? Is she asleep? OK Leo, think this through. She probably just got tired and mistook your lap as a pillow. That makes sense. So do I wake her? She might get pissed if I do. _

Leo began to panic. After about ten minutes of just sitting there motionless he decided to take a risk and do what he thought would make Aeris happy. He turned off the TV and xbox using the controller **(Just want to make sure it's clear, you can turn an xbox off wirelessly using the controller. He didn't need to get up and thus wake Aeris)** and just leaned his head back to fall asleep. He didn't want to wake Aeris so instead he just let her stay asleep on his lap. _Is she…purring? _

Aeris woke up around 6 in the morning. Her bed felt even more comfortable than usual. She slowly opened her eyes and to her confusion all she saw was blue. _Nothing in my room is blue. The only thing in this apartment that is that blue would be… LEO! That little bastard must have fallen asleep on my bed! I'm going to kill him!_

Aeris sat up with intention of punching Leo in the face. However, as soon as she looked around she noticed something even worse had happened. She fell asleep on Leo._ Oh no, what am I going to do! OK, he's still asleep. Maybe he fell asleep first. That would mean he has no idea that a slept on him. Let's just hope that's the case._

Aeris got off the couch and walked into her room to take a shower. It was Monday so she had work at noon.

Leo woke up when he heard the shower going in the other room. He looked down and Aeris was gone. _That must have been a dream last night. _*sigh*_ Well, at least it was a good dream. Now let's go make some pancakes!_

Leo got up and walked into the kitchen. Just as he was taking out a pan the phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Wendy down at BestStop. Can I talk to a Mr. Leo Leonardo?"

"Speaking."

"Great, hi Leo. I read over your application and I'd love it if you could come here for an interview sometime in the next few days."

"Wow, ummm… I can come down today if you like."

"Sure, what time?"

"Is noon OK?"

"That's perfect. I'll see you then. Just go to customer service and tell them you're there to see Wendy." 

"Thanks, I'll do that."

"Goodbye" *Click* She hung up.

Leo stood there for a minute with a look of satisfaction across his face. Now all he has to do is pass his interview.

Aeris was drying herself off after a nice hot shower. _I can't believe I did that. I woke up so warm and happy, and Leo is a nice guy, but still. As long as he was asleep the whole time and I didn't do anything too bad like purring I'll be OK. But I woke up so happy. No Aeris, get these thoughts out of your head. He's an idiot and a friend, but nothing more. _

She stepped out of her room wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. When she looked into the kitchen she saw Leo was happily making pancakes, the only problem was that he had already made more than the both of them could eat.

"Leo, what are you doing?"

"Making breakfast. That should be pretty obvious."

"I can see that, but why are you making so many pancakes?"

"I was just in a great mood, so I figured why not."

(uneasily) "Why are you so happy?"

"BestStop called. They want to interview me!"

"That's great Leo. Now stop making pancakes and let's eat some of them. When is the interview?"

"Noon today"

"Good, then you can go with me when I head to work."

"That's what I was thinking."

"I doubt that. After we eat make sure you clean up and look decent. And take a shower too."

"Yea, I know. This isn't my first interview."

"But it is the one for a job that you will keep. Also, as soon as you know whether or not they're going to hire you call the gas station. You don't want to leave them hanging."

"Easy enough."

They ate breakfast and washed the dishes together. Then Leo went into his room to get ready for the interview while Aeris changed into her work clothes.

At about 11 they both got into the car and drove to the mall. Aeris went to BestStop with Leo in order to make sure he was all set. She then left him alone while she walked over to GameShop.

Leo was sitting in some sort of waiting room outside of Wendy's office. _That couldn't have been a dream last night. It felt so real. Aeris was so beautiful and looked so peaceful. Damn, I think I might actually like her… NO! Come on Leo, what are you thinking. She's nice but she doesn't like you. She thinks you're an idiot. Maybe if I prove to her I'm not an idiot she'll like me. Then I'll make a move. _

"You must me Leo, come on in."

Leo turns to his side to see a rather good looking woman, who he assumed was Wendy, standing in a doorway. He stood up and followed her.

"OK, let's see. You worked at GameShop for almost a year and then at a gas station for about a month. Why are you looking for another new job?"

"Well I'm leaving the station because I don't earn enough money there to cover the rent."

"I see…"

They continue like this for about half an hour.

"OK, last question. Why were you fired from GameShop? This email I received from a Mr. Dennis says that management had to 'let you go' but it doesn't say why."

"I was fired because the customers were idiots." Leo suddenly stops. He couldn't believe what he just said. It had just slipped out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry Mr. Leonardo. You do understand that BestStop is almost entirely customer service, right?

"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. It just slipped…"

"I don't think we are looking to hire someone of your … anything, right now."

"Can you give me another chance?"

"You can apply again in a couple of months. Until then Mr. Leonardo, have a nice day."

She opened the door for Leo and shut it behind him. He felt bad now but Aeris was going to kill him tonight. _What did I do! I can't even apply again for 2 months. I need another job or Aeris will kill me._ Leo didn't even go to see Aeris in GameShop. Instead he went and took the car straight to the apartment. Once there he just sat in his room thinking. He had to think of something else. There must have been something he could do. _I need to pick Aeris up at 5. I'll just apply at every store I can before then. That way when I break the news to her she won't be as mad. _

Leo did just that. He drove around town and in the course of 2 hours applied at 5 different stores. Only two of them were electronics but he had to take what he could get. At 4:45 he left for the mall. He met Aeris at the usual spot and they drove home.

"I'm surprised I didn't hear from you after the interview. Did you get the job? I want pizza and I said only if they hire you."

"I screwed the interview. They didn't hire me." Aeris' face suddenly changed from excited to curious with a bit of anger. "But it's OK. I applied at a few other stores. I'm sure one of them will hire me."

Aeris didn't sound angry, just disappointed. Leo could tell she was holding back a flood of anger. "Leo, you needed this job. It had decent pay and they could give you good hours. Not to mention it's in the same mall as where I work. Rides would have been so easy. I don't know how you screwed this up and I don't want to know. You better hope that one of these other places pulls through."

The rest of the ride was in pure silence. Leo could see that Aeris was thinking, but he didn't know what it was about. When they arrived at the apartment Leo went straight to his room. Aeris walked into the kitchen and just sat down at their table. _What are we going to do? The rent is due in two weeks and we can't afford it. I don't want to have to move, and we don't have any extra rooms to rent out. I should have known better than to put our fate in the hands of Leo. Damn that cute grey cat. _That last thought she didn't even notice.

Leo stepped out of his room. He slowly walked over to Aeris and just stood there.

"Listen, I know I screwed this up. But one of these jobs will pull through, I'm sure of it. You know, I bet some pizza will cheer you up."

Aeris violently stood up and the chair fell over. She stared into Leo's eyes at point blank. Her look was no longer confused or nervous. Now it was pure anger. Leo had pushed her too far.

"What the Hell Leo! Do you think this is a joke or a game! We might not even be able to afford our rent, never mind food, and all you can think about is pizza! You're such a fucking idiot!" Every bit of anger she felt since Leo first got fired from GameShop had built up. She had managed to keep it back, until now. Now Leo had pushed her one too many times. And now Leo was going to get it, all of it. "We might need to move into a different place. This apartment is already one of the cheapest we could find. Leo, we're screwed over and it's all your fault." She began to cry a little but was still showing anger. All of a sudden she just stopped. She didn't yell, cry, or anything. She just stared at Leo. The next and last thing he saw was a fist.

Leo was on the floor on his back. He was unconscious with a slow trickle of blood pooling on the tile flooring. There was also a small amount on the wall where his head impacted. Leo had been standing with his back to the wall when Aeris hit him. She hit him so hard that his head left a small hole. Aeris was still just staring at Leo, however now it was a look of pure shock. She couldn't believe what she just did. His eyes were twitching so she knew he wasn't dead, but he was unconscious and losing blood.

She panicked and ran to grab a towel. With it she cleaned up some of the blood and looked at Leo's wound. He was bleeding but it didn't look to bad. She decided not to take him to the hospital but instead just cleaned and dressed the still unconscious Leo. Aeris didn't want to leave him on the floor so she dragged him to his room and pulled him onto his bed. She then sat in the corner of the room and banged the back of her head against the wall. _What did I do? Please forgive me Leo._

**A longer chapter and certainly a more interesting one. I certainly hope that Leo will be OK. Thanks to those who have commented and for the rest of you, thanks for reading another chapter, please review, and I love you. **

**~Bogren (It took me five tries to spell my own name. That can't be a good sign.)**

**P.S. I have a lot of half days of school this week so I'll probably have another chapter mid-week. Thanks for reading.**

**P.P.S. I know the title isn't great. That's one thing I'm bad at, making titles. **

**UPDATE: Thanks to 5****th**** Dimension, who helped me word the 'Aeris falling asleep' scene better. I've updated it accordingly. **


	4. Chapter 3: The Good Nurse Aeris

**Chapter 3**

**The Good Nurse Aeris**

**I know I said I would update during the week, but I spent just about every waking moment I had in school or studying for mid-years (and playing Skyrim). Also, in case you're all picking up on subtle changes in writing style it's because I'm experimenting a little. This is my first solo story so I'm trying to find a technique I like. Enjoy! (or else…)**

The next morning Aeris woke up around 5. It didn't take her long to notice she had slept on Leo's floor and got almost no sleep that night. Still, she just laid there. There was nothing else for her to do. After a half an hour she finally stood up. Leo was still on his bed where she left him. He had moved around since she put him there and he looked much more relaxed. The bandage she put on his head was a little bloody and she couldn't tell if any had soaked through onto the bed. Other than the red and white bandage you couldn't tell anything was wrong.

She walked over to Leo and sat on the edge of his bed. "I'm sorry Leo. I'm sure you can't hear me, but I'm sorry. You… you just pushed me so far last night and I've been under so much stress lately… Just get better." After a moment of leaning over him she realized that she was crying. She stood up again and walked out of the room. _Get better Leo. I've hit you pretty hard before and you always bounce back. Don't make this time any different._ She went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Empty, as usual.

Aeris sat at the table just like the day before only this time her thoughts were on Leo. _Why did he have to provoke me?… Don't blame this on him, you're the one who yelled and punched him, you're the one who abuses him, you're the one who expects so much out of him. He's Leo, that's what he does. The moment he wakes up I'm going to order him a pizza. Pepperoni too, his favorite. _She looked at the clock. _Damn, 6 already. Even worse, it's Tuesday. Have to be at work for 7. I can't leave Leo home alone, not like this. Good thing I don't get sick._

She pulls out her cell phone and finds GameShop in her contacts.

"Hi this is Dennis at GameShop, I'm sorry but we're closed right now. If you want you can call back at 7:30."

"Dennis, it's Aeris."

"Oh, hey Aeris. What's up?"

"I don't feel so good. I'm going to need to take a sick day."

"Think you could have called any later? **( sarcasm)** I'll try to get someone to replace you."

"I appreciate it."

"Yea, no problem. And don't let me forget, next time you come in I need to talk to you. Oh yea, and if you don't feel well by tonight call me, that way I'll have a little heads up for tomorrow."

"Thanks again. Bye Dennis."

"Get well soon."

*click*

_That's one problem handled. Now what? I guess I don't want to wake him. Well, I'll just keep an eye on him._

Aeris went back into Leo's room. He hadn't moved since he left. She found his PSP and laid down next to him on the bed. She slowly looked over at him. _He's so peaceful. Why can't he always be like that? I know why, because I don't always knock him unconscious or watch him while he's sleeping. I wonder if he's dreaming?_ After a few moments of observing she turned over onto her side and powered on the PSP. _Metal gear Solid: Peace Walker. He always had a good choice in games. _

Silently Aeris played the game. Every once in a while she would gaze over at Leo. Once or twice she stared at him for a few minutes. After what seemed like half a day, though was only about an hour, he began to move.

As soon as she felt him move Aeris rolled over and hugged Leo. "I'm so sorry Leo! Please forgive me! I'll never hurt you again! Oh my god!"

"Owww… my head hurts. What happened?"

"I hit you and your head hit the wall. You were unconscious for so long and I'm so sorry."

"That explains my head… but Aeris…"

"What?"

"Why are you hugging me?"

She opened her eyes and noticed that she was holding Leo with her own head buried in his chest.

"I'm sorry… I was just worried and now that you're awake… sorry."

"It's ok, just stop apologizing. If anything it actually feels…nice."

She let go and just stared into his eyes. Unlike last time when it was in anger, now she felt worry and affection. There was a long silence, neither knew what to say. After what once again felt like eternity Leo broke it. "This is going to sound awkward but I need to use the bathroom."

"Oh, of course. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." Aeris slowly rose from the bed and stepped outside of the room. For a moment she stood there, not knowing what she should do. Then she remembered her promise to Leo and walked into the kitchen.

Leo gradually sat up. His head was killing him, as though someone just hammered a nail into it. One step at a time he worked himself into his bathroom. Looking in the mirror he saw the bandage on his head. He turned his head a little and saw a dark red spot on back. _Wow, she must have hit me hard. Damn thing hurts so much. I guess it's a good thing Aeris took that Red Cross class. Maybe I should have gone. Oh well… But man, that's going to leave a scar. And scars are tough. Girls like tough. _He buried his head in his hand when a wave of pain came. "owww… what the hell…"

Meanwhile Aeris had just hung up the phone and was turning on the TV. There wasn't much on, as usual, so she just settled with Family Guy. Leo liked that and she tolerated it. She looked towards Leo's room and saw him walking towards her. "Hey Leo, how are you feeling?"

"My head feels like a train carrying explosives just crashed. Other than that I just feel a little sore."

"I guess a landing like the one you had would do that to someone. Why don't you just sit down and take it easy. I ordered a pizza and am about to go get it. Can I get you anything?"

"I think we're out of aspirin or whatever you use for pain. Do you think you could pick some up?"

"Sure, no problem. I'll be right back."

Aeris quickly ran out the door, leaving Leo all alone. _I don't know. Now she's being nice. And it's not 'I'm sorry' nice, this is nice nice. Aeris isn't the kind to say sorry, and the hug earlier… I wish she would just say what she's thinking. Hmmm… well Family Guy is on, how about I just watch that for a while._

Aeris came back about 15 minutes later. She had a bag from SCV **(Store of Consumer Values. Don't hate on it.)** and a pizza box. She looked around the apartment and saw Leo on the couch. He was lying down with his eyes closed. Without thinking she tossed the goods onto the table and ran over to him in order to make sure he was ok. He was breathing but she was still nervous. After a few shakes Leo came to. "Oh hey Aeris. I must have fallen asleep."

"You had me worried. I thought maybe you went unconscious or something. Don't scare me like that."

"I'm sorry…? I'm still a bit tired and the couch is pretty comfy."

"Well in my moment of fear I threw the pizza on the table. If it's ruined I blame you."

"But you threw… never mind. Did you get some drugs?"

"It's not drugs, it's aspirin. And yes, I did."

"Thank you so much."

They both went into the kitchen. Leo grabbed the SCV bag and tried to open the pill bottle. After too many futile attempts he held it out to Aeris, who opened it with no trouble. They ate the pizza together while watching TV. Around 1 Leo started to get bored.

"Family Guy is great and all but do you want to do something else? How about a movie or something?"

"It's up to you, Leo. I'm fine with a movie if it's any good."

"The New Pirates of the Caribbean just came out on DVD. I heard it's not as bad as the second. Want to watch that?"

"Sure. Though I'm going to have to go out again."

"That's ok. This time don't start panicking as soon as you walk in though. I'm probably going to be asleep when you get back."

"Fine, I'll get a few movies we can watch."

She hurried over to the door but paused before shutting it behind her. After a moment she closed it and was gone.

_Aeris would never do this kind of stuff for me before. Pizza and now a movie. I would ask what's wrong but… I like it. And when she hugged me earlier it felt so nice. She was warm and soft. I think I like her, and I mean like like her. I guess I can try to find out tonight, but how? Should I tell her how I feel or maybe give her a kiss on the cheek? Nothing too serious, but still something. That will have to wait for tonight though. Tight now I want some sleep._

Aeris was walking towards BestShop to buy a few movies. It was still cold outside and there was no sign of that changing. She knew that it would be busy but she didn't realize just how bad. When she entered the store it seemed as though everyone in Toronto wanted to buy a game or movie.

The movie section seemed to be completely void of any film worth watching. It took her ten minutes and punching one guy in the throat but she eventually found three moview that she had no desire to see. They were 'Jaws 10: Revenge of the Original Jaw's Grandchildren' , 'Godfather III' **(If you saw it then you know why I put it on this list.)** , and 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End.' _Wow these movies suck. Next thing you know they'll come out with another Ghost Rider or SAW. Oh hey! Is that popcorn over there? Leo loves popcorn._

She goes through the check out with the three movies and a box of microwave popcorn. **(Movie Theatre Butter, of course)**. On the way out the door her phone starts to ring, the caller ID says GameShop. _Oops, I was supposed to call Dennis. This is going to be a little awkward. _

"Hello"

"Hi Aeris, it's Dennis."

"Hey Dennis, sorry I haven't called you yet. I was going to call tonight so I could be sure if I was feeling ok."

"It's alright, that's not the main reason I called."

"Why else would you?"

"It's about Leo. I felt bad for you two so I did some research. Corporate has some policy that if an employee is fired for disciplinary reasons they can be hired back. If management and a majority of the employees decide they want the individual to come back we can give them a second chance. He would just have to go through a trial period to make sure the problem won't occur again."

"You can do that?"

"Yup, in fact we have been doing that. I already filled out the paperwork and everyone at work today signed. I only need one more signature to make a majority."

"Let me guess, that's me?"

"Right. Next time you come in if you sign the paper we can have Leo back and working the next day."

"You know what Dennis, I think I'm feeling better. I'll be at work tomorrow afternoon as usual.

"Figured you'd say that. Bring him with you so he can sign a couple of things too."

"Will do. And Dennis, thanks. You have no idea how important this is to us and I'm sure Leo will appreciate it to."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye"

_I don't know if I hate it or love it when Leo is right. Things are working out, just like he said. You know, even if these movies suck I'm looking forward to watching them with him. _

She walked up the stairs leading to their floor. Each step felt good as they were taking her closer to him. She still had trouble believing that she was deeply looking forward to seeing and being with Leo. Again she opened the door slowly as to not wake her friend, who she was sure would be sleeping. He was sprawled across the couch with his head on his arm and drool dripping on the pillow.

She entered and put a bag of popcorn into the microwave. Next she took the Pirates movie and placed it in the xbox. Finally, she sat next to Leo who awoke from the feeling of her body against him.

"You're home"

"Thanks Captain obvious. I didn't know that."

"You're hilarious Aeris. **(EXTREME sarcasm) **Did you get some movies?"

"Yea, we're watching that Pirates movie first."

"Sweeeeeeeeeeeet. I love Jack Sparrow. Not Turner, he's annoying and doesn't shut up. But Jack, he's funny and just straight up concentrated awesome made from concentrate."

"You're starting to sound like Mr. Turner. Now why don't you shut up and watch the movie."

The movie had been playing for about an hour when Aeris began to feel tired. She once again placed her head on his lap. This time Leo knew she was awake and that she didn't mistake him for a pillow. _Holy crap, oh no oh no oh no. ok man, stay cool. She made the first move. She likes you. Now make a move. Just make sure it's smooth and nothing too dramatic._ He brushed his hand against her cheek. It was warm and soft, just how he imagined.

Neither said a single word. Aeris began to purr and they both blushed. Things were going well. In fact, everything was perfect. She hoped this moment wouldn't end.

**Best chapter so far a mon avi. (French for: in my opinion.) I hope you all liked it as well. However, I have to admit I still don't like the title. Sooooooo… Read, Review, and I love you all.**

**~Bogren**


	5. Chapter 4: Taking a risk

**Chapter 4**

**?**

Aeris awoke the next day around eight. It felt nice to sleep in, even if it was only for a couple of hours. She got up to find herself in a great mood. _Today is going to be great. Leo is going to get his job back. Not to mention last night. He was so nice and comforting. I know I've been fighting it but I have feelings for him. He's cute and so nice it should be criminal. I mean sure, he's a complete idiot, but still. I guess I should go get him up and tell him that he has to go with me today. _

Aeris stepped out of her room. The apartment is warm and there is a wonderful smell hanging in the air. It was the unmistakable smell of eggs and bacon. She walked towards the kitchen and sees Leo cooking breakfast.

"Since when could you cook? Last I checked you burnt cereal."

"Hey, I'm a pretty good cook, I'm just too lazy. And the cereal thing was because I wanted to try something different."

"Whatever you say Leo. Why are you up so early?"

"I don't know. I woke up feeling great and decided why not."

"Well you saved me the trouble of waking you up."

"Why would you wake me up? I always sleep in when I don't have work."

"Because you're going to work with me today."

Leo raised an eyebrow in obvious confusion. "Why?"

"Dennis is giving you your job back." 

"Really? I thought they couldn't take me back."

"He found some weird policy, but that doesn't matter." 

"That's amazing! Let's celebrate!"

"How?"

"Well… I made breakfast and there is enough for two. Then you can get these bandages off of my head."

"Sure, that sounds nice."

They sat down and ate silently for a few minutes.

_Wow, she's even cute while she's eating. What the Hell happened last night though. She definitely put her head on my lap on purpose. And the purring meant she liked it as much as I did. But what does she want me to do? She's been so nice to me lately and she's perfect. I guess my only choice is to risk everything and just ask. This isn't going to be easy. I wonder what she's thinking._

_That gray little furball. He's so adorable in the morning with his fur all messed up. Lately he's been so mature. I like him. But do I like him that much? I don't know… damn… What are you thinking Leo? Tell me…_

Aeris ate quickly, which wasn't normal. She seemed a bit nervous. Leo knew why. He was nervous too. After an eternity he managed to break the silence.

"He Aeris, about last night…"

"Yea, I was just thinking the same thing."

"Well, I like you. You know, as more than just a friend. And I know I'm pushing it but... from last night I'm guessing you feel the same."

Aeris didn't say anything, but the fact that she didn't hit or beat him meant he was getting somewhere.

"I don't know about you but I want this to go further. I want us to be more than friends. And the last few days have made me realize that you're special and really do have feelings for me. So I'm going to risk my life and ask. Aeris, do you want to go out and be… you know… boyfriend and girlfriend."

Leo just took the greatest risk of his short life and he knew it. Either she would say yes right there or she would end him.

"I…I don't know… I need to think about it. That's a big step and I'm just not sure how I feel."

"Oh, ok. Ummm…Wow… Now what?"

"You go shower and get ready for work. I'll be in my room until it's time to go."

"Sure, I guess I'll see you in a little while."

Leo remained sitting at the table while Aeris stood up and walked to her room. They were both completely silent. He looked back but she had already shut her door. _Wow, I didn't see that coming. _After a moment of thought Leo went into his own room to get ready.

_I can't believe it._ Aeris was in the shower, enjoying one of the few places she can achieve peace and quiet. _That was the bravest move he's ever made. But damned if I know how to answer him. I like him, that's that. But he asked me out. Do I want to be with him? Do I want him as my boyfriend? He's the polar opposite of every other guy I've dated. But hey, look how well they all turned out. Maybe it's time for a change of pace. He's sweet and not a complete jerk. Hmmm… Mrs. Aeris Leonardo. That does sound a bit funny… Whoa whoa whoa, what am I thinking? He asked me out. It's not like he proposed. If the worst should happen we can just go back to how things are now… as awkward as that would be. That's a big risk. If something goes wrong it could ruin our friendship… I know what I need to say. Now how to break it to him…_

She finished her shower and got dressed for work. It was only about ten so she went on her computer and browsed the internet for something new and exciting.

Leo had just stepped out of his own shower. He still had the same thought running through his head. _What will Aeris say?_ It felt like a broken record was playing in his head but he couldn't think of anything besides Aeris.

There was about ten minutes before they needed to leave when Aeris heard a knock on her door.

"Hey Aeris, do you think you can take this bandage off. I don't think it's bleeding anymore."

She opened her door to let Leo in.

"Sure. Sit down in my chair."

Leo sat down while Aeris took a pair of scissors out of her drawer. She carefully cut the wrapping and removed it from his head. Aeris couldn't help but notice how soft his fur was.

"Is it off?"

"Yup, you're good to go."

"Thanks. Is my head covered in blood?"

"No Leo, it's not. And blood that wasn't absorbed would have dried and fallen off in the shower. You'll be fine."

"Thanks. So about my offer…"

"Leo, I'll tell you when I'm ready. I promise I won't keep you waiting for too long but I just want to make sure I'm doing what will make me happy. Just don't push or rush me, ok?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that… yea, sure, that's ok."

They took the stairs down to the car and drove to GameShop. The only conversation between them was the usual and awkward small talk. Neither was willing to bring up the one topic they both wanted to talk about. Leo didn't want to pressure her and Aeris wanted to find the right way to respond to him.

They walked into the GameShop almost exactly at noon. It was pretty clear Dennis had been waiting for them.

"Aeris, Leo. Good to see you guys. I need you both to come in back."

The three of them went into the back room where Dennis explained the situation.

"It's pretty simple. Aeris, I need you to sign this paper saying that you vogue for Leo. Most of the employees already signed one and you're the last one." He hands her a paper and pen on with which she signs. "Good, now you can go ahead and start your shift, that's all I need from you."

She walked out, turning at the last second.

"Good luck Leo. You better not screw this one up too."

Dennis ignored Aeris' comment and went straight back to work.

"This is simple. I just need to give you an interview in order to make sure you're still what we're looking for."

"Sounds easy enough. Let's do this."

"Good enthusiasm. Let's see… you used to work here… blah blah blah… I already know about that… Well, good job Leo!"

Leo just sat their giving off a puzzled look.

"Wait… What? I didn't even answer a single question."

"I know. There isn't a specific script for this and everything I need to know I already know. Your entire job history has been behind those counters, after all."

"Oh yea, wow. That's a nice surprise. Sure takes a lot of pressure off. So how have you been?"

"I've been good Leo, and you?"

"I guess I can't complain. Can I tell you something?"

"You can trust me bud. Have I ever let you down?"

"Other than firing me, no. But anyways, I asked Aeris out."

"No shit? I mean, that's awesome. What did she say?"

"She said she wanted to think about it." 

"That's too bad."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh man Leo, you don't know women. If she says she needs to think about it then she's just saying no. It's as simple as that."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent."

"Oh man… I thought I actually had a chance."

"Here, let's just say she does say yes. Then what?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead."

"I'm a good friend, so I'll give you some advice."

"I'm listening"

"Take her to a dance. I know it's cliché but there is a nice Valentine 's Day one coming up. If she says yes to going out with you ask her to go there. She'll say yes and she'll love you forever."

"A dance? I don't dance."

"No problem, she will. All girls can dance. She'll show you how."

"I don't know bud…"

"Trust me. They don't call me Doctor Love for nothing."

"Dennis, no one calls you that. Are we done here? I'm getting hungry."

"Yea, you're free to go."

"Thanks. And can you keep this between us. I don't want everyone to know about this conversation."

"No problem."

"Thanks Dennis."

Leo stepped out of the back room with Dennis right behind him. He goes over to Aeris and with a big smile on his face he says, "I got the job. They're taking me back."

Aeris suddenly knew, that was the moment. She stepped towards him and hugged him, but that wasn't enough. Aeris then kissed him. They didn't make out, but it was a slow intimate kiss. A customer noticed what was happening and shouted out that they were showing a public display of affection, to which Dennis responded, "Shut up and let them have their moment."

It seemed as though hours had passed in the course of mere seconds. They released each other and looked into each other's eyes. There was a certain light between them that couldn't be described with any word I know of.

"I guess this is a yes then?"

"Good guess… idiot."

**I took three days and I'm starting to space out as I'm writing this but here it is. I apologize for the conversation between Leo and Dennis but it had to happen, there was no other way. Other than that I think this was one of the best chapters I've ever written. I hope you all liked it also. Sooooooo… Read, Review, and I love you all.**

** Your over affectionate writer,**

** Bogren**

**P.S. I finished writing this wicked late and as I said, I'm kind of having these spaced out moments were I just lose touch with what I'm doing. So if you see any mistakes please PM me, because I doubt my proof reading caught everything.**


	6. Chapter 5: Lesson Two

**Chapter 5**

**Lesson Two**

-A Few Days Later-

The door to the apartment opened as Leo and Aeris stepped inside. Leo flinched, half expecting the door to shut in his face, but it didn't. They walked into the kitchen together.

"Another long day of working for the man."

"The man? You mean Dennis? You do understand that Dennis gave us almost the same hours and has been incredibly nice to you, right?"

"I don't mean Dennis. I'm talking about the establishment."

"You need to stop watching so much TV. I doubt you even know what you're talking about."

"Shows what you know."

Leo sat on the couch and Aeris joined him a minute later. The news came on, nothing new. Still cold, still Toronto.

Leo and Aeris had been dating for a few days now. The only real difference from before was more time together and cuddling on the couch. Although, Leo had disappeared for a little while the day before. Aeris had no idea where he went and Leo wouldn't tell.

"You know how I went out for a while yesterday?"

"Yea, what was that about?"

"Well, I had to go to the convention center and pick up a couple of these babies." He pulls out two red tickets. "There's a Valentines' Day dance coming up. Do you want to go with me?"

"Wow, I didn't see that coming, especially from you. And Valentines' Day is in four days. Do you even know how to dance?"

"Well… no. I figured I would solve that problem when I came to it."

"So let me get this straight. You're asking me out to a dance when you have absolutely no idea how to dance. OK, I'll make a deal with you. I'll teach you how to dance and go with you, if… you give me one slow dance. And I mean the whole song."

"You drive a tough bargain, but deal. When do my lessons start?"

"Right now." Aeris stood up, pulling Leo with her. "OK, at a dance like this you'll see two kinds of dances. The first doesn't have a name that I know of. You just move to the music. I know it's cliché, but it's true. I'll show you what I mean." She turned the radio on and put in some random CD. 'Love Comes Again' by Tiesto came on. "These songs will be a bit faster, so you just keep moving to the beat. It's fun." Aeris took his hands and began to dance with Leo following awkwardly. Eventually he began to pick up on the moves.

"That's not too bad. I've got to say I've never even heard of this song before."

"You don't listen to love songs. A dance like this won't have any hard rock or video game themes."

"What? Then why are we even going?" **(Sarcasm, for those of you who didn't pick up on that.)**

"Just be quiet." She turned the song off. "You've got faster songs down well enough that you won't embarrass me. So that means we're on lesson two now: The Slow Dance. This is crucial. During the slow dance I will determine a few things, one of which being whether or not we have a chance."

"You find that out from one dance?"

"Yup, like I said, it's a crucial moment."

"So are you going to teach me to dance or just talk about it?"

"Hey, don't rush it. You have to ease into the moment."

Leo gave her a funny look and took a step towards the radio. This time he chose the song. He moved back to Aeris just as Aerosmith began to play.

"Don't want to miss a thing. I wouldn't have guessed that to be one of your choices."

"It's a good band and I know it's a love song."

"Fair enough. Now do exactly as I say."

Leo made a perverted smile and she responded with a dirty look. Aeris then took his hands and placed them on her waist. He pulled her closer as she laid her arms around his neck. Her face turned a bright red color.

"What are you doing?"

"Well last I checked a slow dance was supposed to be close and intimate. I just want to get the most from this practice."

"Sure…"

Her voice became soft as it faded with that last word. They started into each other's eyes.

_I wasn't kidding when I said the slow dance was crucial. Though, I guess I won't need to wait for the one at the dance. Right here, right now… I've never felt this way before. Not around him, not around any guy. This feeling… it's amazing. It's still too early though. I can't be sure how I feel yet. No, I need to see how he reacts to this. I need to see how he handles a relationship. I've been with guys who are scared to commit and guys who try jump into bed too fast. Before this goes anywhere I need to find out exactly how Leo feels about all of this. To put it bluntly, what he says over the next few days will determine everything…_

"Hey Aeris, why don't you sleep in my room tonight?"

She instantly snapped out of her moment and back into the real world. "W…Wait… what?"

"Why don't you sleep with me tonight? Not on me, but with me."

"uhhh…ummmm…" She had been caught completely off guard. Never had she thought Leo could make a move like that. _Hold on one second. Where did this come from? Had he planned to make a move like that from the start? Either Leo is one smooth and clever guy or he's the world's greatest improviser. OK, pull yourself together Aeris. He's waiting for an answer…_

"You don't need to answer right away, you can think about this if you want."

"No, it's ok. Ummm… Yes…" She moved forward and kissed him on the lips. "I think that's a great idea to be honest."

"You do?"

"Yea."

"Good. I have to admit I was even more scared saying that than when I was first asking you out."

"What, did I make it too easy for you?"

"No, not at all"

"I'm glad to hear it. But don't do anything stupid, ok."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't Leo, sure you don't." He smiled in response. "That's what I thought."

"What time is it?"

"About 5:30, why?"

"Because I'm hungry. How does dinner and a movie sound? "

"Sure, where and what movie?"

"Well I'm a little short on money, so… pizza… and for the movie, how about that one about those guys whose plane crash in Alaska and they have to survive."

"I guess I'm up for just about anything right now. Let me just grab my coat."

"No problem, I'll wait."

"Ummm Leo, you have to let go of me."

He blushed as he realized that his hands were still around Aeris' waist.

"Oh, sorry. I'll wait by the door."

"I'll be just a sec."

She left and came back with her coat. Together they walked to the Toronto House of Pizza. They split a pizza then went to the theatre. During 'The Grey' **(movie that Leo described earlier)** they held hands and Aeris put her head on Leo's shoulder. After the movie ended the two went home. It was about 9:30.

"Well I'm tired as hell, so I'm going to my room for some sleep. You can join me whenever you want."

"I'll be in after I change."

"Don't keep my waiting."

"You do know that you aren't waiting for anything. Tonight we're just sleeping."

"Yea yea, I know. Just seemed like something that would make sense to say."

"Nice try, but no."

She walked away and into her room. Leo followed and stood outside her door. _Wow, she's amazing. And now I'm even going to sleep with her. Last week I wouldn't have even thought this possible. Well, off to bed with me._ He entered his room, changed for bed, and climbed in. After a moment of silence the door opened. Aeris walked in wearing a pink night gown. Without a single word she climbed into bed and snuggled close to Leo, burying her head deep in his chest.

_He's so warm and so happy…_

**What a happy couple. **

**This was a bit of a shorter chapter but it contained a ton of story. I hope you all like it as much as I do. Sooooooo… Read, Review, and I love you all.**

** Your over affectionate writer,**

** Bogren**

**P.S. And I've been deciding whether or not to end this story and despite my best judgment I'm going to keep writing it, so tough luck. **


	7. Chapter 6: Preparations

**Chapter 6**

**Preparations**

**I apologize for taking so long to write this chapter. I've been stressed out over school which led me to focus on school and not writing. Then I began to get stressed over my writing which is a bit ironic seeing as how I write for stress relief. And, well… long story made short I apologize for taking a long time and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Three days until dance**

She couldn't believe it. Everything happened so fast and yet it felt so slow. It seemed like it lasted forever, and she wished it had. All that had happened over the past few days, or was it weeks, seemed to have worked perfectly only to climax at this one moment. She never expected it to happen; she wasn't even sure she wanted it to. But now she was sure. When Aeris woke up she wasn't in her room or in her bed and, strangest of all, it was next to him. And as if to make the thoughts running through her head even more confusing, she loved him.

Leo was still asleep. She could feel his chest moving at a steady rate against her back. His bed was so warm and comfortable, likely due to the fact that he was under the blankets with her. Everything was peaceful as her moment of quiet bliss continued.

Leo began to stir at the sound of her purring. "Morning, kitten."

"Good morning, Leo." Aeris turned and kissed him. "You sleep well?"

"Yeah, I slept pretty well." He sounded tired, but relaxed. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking you're kind of cute and that I would love some breakfast."

Leo gave a provocative look. "You're not so bad yourself," he paused, "So am I cooking breakfast or are you?"

"I'll cook, but you can help." Aeris got out of the bed and began walking towards the door. Her tail swayed back and forth, putting Leo in a daze.

When the door shut he came to. "Wow…" He stood up and followed where Aeris had gone. As he stepped into the hall he could see she was already taking a pan out. "Okay, so what are we making?"

"I don't know yet. Right now I'm planning on cracking a few eggs and seeing what I can make out of it."

"Hmm…" Leo thought, "Pancakes sound pretty good right now."

Aeris pointed at the cabinet. "Then grab a pan and make some."

"Bossy much?" He took out a pan, a bowl, and some pancake mix. A moment later he was pouring watery batter into the pan, making one giant pancake.

"Leo, that looks awful. And tell me you sprayed the pan with that non-stick stuff."

"Oh, I may have forgotten that." He smiled uneasily. Aeris took a step towards him and jabbed him in the arm. "Ow, what was that for?"

"That's for doubling the time it will take for you to clean up and for ruining a pancake." She turned her focus back to her own pan. The eggs were sizzling, releasing a wonderful aroma into the air. Meanwhile, Leo was already attempting to clean the partially cooked batter from the pan, which was no easy task.

A few minutes later the eggs, now omelets, were done. Leo had abandoned the thought of pancakes and instead was placed on cleanup duty. They sat down to enjoy their breakfast together.

"So," Leo said upon swallowing a mouth full of eggs and peppers, "what's the plan for today?"

"Well, the dance is in four days and we have the next few days off. Why don't we go out and buy a dress for me?"

"Yeah, well, you see…" There was an obvious uneasiness in his voice. "Isn't it bad luck for a guy to see his girl in her dress before an event?"

"You're not getting out of this that easily, Leo. And that's only for a wedding. Don't worry, we'll rent you a tux too. This is going to be fun."

"And you're sure you can't go dress shopping without me?"

"You're going, Leo. The sooner you accept it, the better."

He sighed "Is it worth arguing more, or will that just end in pain for me?"

"Let's just say that if you don't come with me, you'll regret it for a long time."

Leo let a slight laugh out. "You said 'come with me.'"

An angry look spread across Aeris' face. "Screw it. I'm going to start hurting you now."

She quickly stood up, causing Leo to flinch and fall out of his seat. "Okay, okay, I'll go!"

"Now, was that so bad?" She sat down, looking quite satisfied.

Leo started to regain his composure. "I'm pretty sure this defines an abusive relationship."

"You'll live. Now clean up the dishes and get ready to go. I want to get to start shopping early."

"Fine…" Leo reluctantly began to clean the dishes he and Aeris had used while Aeris went to her room. When he finished he went back into his own room to take a shower._ Dress shopping? That's how I want to spend my day. Gears is just sitting there crying for me to play it, and I have to go dress shopping. I tell you, the things I'll do for a pretty girl._

_This is gonna be fun. I get to spend the day with Leo and I get a new dress. Maybe since I'm making him go I'll get him a little something. I'm sure he'd like to be able to pick out his own Valentine's Day gift a little early._ Aeris stepped out of her shower. The bathroom was full of a warm steam that felt nice against her body. She brushed her teeth and neatened her fur. Finally, she stepped into her room to find some clean clothes.

Leo got out of his shower. He had to make it quick because there was no hot water left. _Women. They take such long showers that no one else can enjoy their own. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. I guess I'm clean enough._ He finished cleaning up and put on extra deodorant. Then he proceeded to put on the first set of clothes he could find and left his room.

"You ready to go?" Aeris was already waiting by the door, the keys in her hand.

"Yeah, I'm ready whenever you are. We just going to the mall?"

"That's the plan. Is that alright?" She was already heading out the door, showing that her concern was no more than being polite. A slight smile came to Leo's face.

"That will be just fine."

They walked down the steps to the waiting car. The old blue sedan was nothing special. Both of them had put in about five hundred dollars to buy it, so they shared it. Together they drove to the mall, which was a short fifteen minutes away. Upon arrival, Aeris grabbed Leo's hand and began to pull him towards the entrance.

"Someone is in a rush." Leo was panting from trying to keep up with Aeris.

"I'm not rushing. I'm just trying to get out of the cold."

"Yeah, sure. Which store are we going to?"

"I don't know. Let's just walk around until I see something. Then you can help me pick out a dress."

"Sounds like fun." The sarcasm was heavy in his voice.

"Ok, you know what? I was planning on doing this after, but since you probably won't be able to concentrate if we wait, I'll let you do it now."

"What?" He gave her a puzzled look.

"Go find yourself something nice. Anything that's not too expensive. I'm letting you pick out your Valentine 's Day gift. The only catch is that you have to wait to use it until after we're done here."

"Oh, sweet. Thanks, Aeris!" He gave her a peck on the cheek before running off to nowhere but GameShop. Aeris just smiled and followed, only at a walking pace. When she entered the store, Leo was already looking at games. There were so many to choose from. He ended up picking out Batman: Arkham City. Despite the fact that it had been out for a while, he hadn't purchased it yet due to a lack of money. Now that he was working a decent job again he could finally get it.

"You sure that's the one you want?"

"Yeah, definitely." He sounded as eager as a child on his birthday.

"Okay, happy Valentine's Day." Aeris purchased the game, but when Leo reached for it she took it instead. "Nope, you have to wait. Now we go looking for a dress. Then you can play. And I don't want you just staring at the case or the manual while you're waiting."

"Can't I at least read the manual or something?" Leo once again sounded like a child talking to his mother.

"Nope. I already told you. I don't want you to get distracted. I need your full attention. Now come on, I saw something I liked in one of the windows."

The pair began walking until Aeris found the store she wanted to look in. She stepped inside while Leo just stood in the doorway. After a moment she grabbed his arm and dragged him into the store. "You sit there." She pointed to a chair outside the changing rooms. "I'm going to try a few dresses on and you are going to tell me what you think. And be honest."

"I'll do my best," he replied with a smile.

"That's what I'm worried about. I'll be right back." She disappeared into the changing rooms to try on a dress. Meanwhile, Leo sat in his chair observing his surroundings._This is going to take forever…_

After waiting patiently for about 5 minutes Aeris stepped out. She was wearing a long black dress. Leo thought it looked kind of funny and the expression on his face gave that away. Before he said a word, Aeris gave him a dirty look and turned back into the changing room.

The cycle repeated several times. Aeris would try on some dress while Leo waited. Then when she showed him, he would either give her a strange look or make a sarcastic remark. After another dress Leo found himself bored practically to tears. He looked around one more time and made eye contact with a girl. She was surrounded by other girls who were all looking at clothes. Leo gazed at her for a few seconds before continuing to look around the room. He thought nothing of what just happened.

Aeris appeared before Leo once more, wearing yet another dress he didn't particularly like. After giving her a disapproving look Aeris stepped back into her changing room. By now even she seemed to be becoming frustrated.

Another 30 or so seconds passed when Leo suddenly felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. He quickly turned around, thinking Aeris had somehow snuck up on him, but it wasn't her. Instead it was the girl he had made eye contact with. In a moment of fright, he jumped to his feet.

"Hey cutie," she said, smiling, "I noticed that you were staring at me before. What are you doing here all alone? You want to take me to get a coffee?" The other girls she was with began to snicker and laugh in the distance. Leo, however, was more panicked than anything.

"Umm, no thanks. I'm here with someone… So… yeah, thanks anyways, though."

"It's alright. I'm sure they won't mind. Come on." The girl practically threw herself on Leo. He stepped back and put his hands up to block her. At that same moment Aeris stepped out of her changing room.

"Hey Leo, I think this is the one…Leo?" She glanced at Leo, noticing he was in a strange position. It only took her a moment, though, to take in the reality of the situation.

Leo was standing with an attractive girl leaned over him. His hands were cupping her breasts.

**Well that took me a while. I swear, 4 weeks of non-stop writer's block combined with too much school work. Well I'm glad it's done. The next chapter won't take so long because I have a clear cut plan for the ending. **

**Thanks to yayleo, who helped me come up with story ideas and bust through the writer's block, 5****th**** Dimension, who reviewed my story for me so it could be the best it can be, and LeoLeonardo-III, because he just helps be quite a bit and keeps me entertained while I'm at work.**

**Read, Review, and I love you all.**

** Your over affectionate writer,**

** Bogren**


	8. Chapter 7: Every Little Thing

**Chapter 7**

**Every Little Thing**

**I guess I should say that there is a bit of not so nice language. Well… a lot of it actually. If you read the last chapter I'm sure you can guess why. Nothing I'd put above T, but I'm warning you anyway. Figure that should keep the police off my back.**

**2 Days until dance**

"What the hell are you doing!" Aeris was yelling. The fact that she was pissed was already evident to every customer in the store.

"Aeris, shit, I can explain." Leo gently pushed the girl that was on top of him away. "It wasn't my fault. She just started to climb on me when…"

"Save it Leo!" Aeris stepped into the changing room once again. This time to remove the dress she had on. She could hear Leo talking on the other side of the door but just ignored him.

"Aeris, listen. She just attacked me. I was trying to avoid her." The desperation was showing.

"And what, you thought you could avoid her by grabbing her tits?" She exited the changing room and threw the dress at Leo, who then tossed it onto a display table. "I'm going home. You can stay here and grope your new friend." Aeris quickly walked away from the store and down the length of the mall towards where they parked, leaving Leo completely stunned.

"Some friend she is. Gets worked up over a little mistake. Why don't you stay here with me?" The girl was still hitting on Leo, a mistake she was going to regret.

"Get away from me. You're a freaking slut and need to just go away. Okay? You just ruined one of the greatest things in my life and now I have to fix it. So get out of my face!" She retreated to her friends as Leo ran off after Aeris.

"Where are you Aeris…?" Leo was speaking under his breath as he searched for his friend. "How far could she have gotten?" He knew she would be heading for the car but couldn't find her, and she had the keys. "Come on, come on…" He pushed the door to the outside open just in time to see their car leaving the parking lot. "Ah, come on…" There was no sense chasing her anymore, by the time he reached the far side of the lot she would be long gone. Instead he pulled out his phone.

It rang a few times, but to no avail. Then he called again and again but only received the same result. Aeris wasn't going to pick up. "Shit…" He dialed another number. "Scott, it's Leo… Yeah… I need help… I'm at the mall… I'm with Aeris, or I guess I was with Aeris… It's a long story, but she's pissed and took the car… I'm coming over, okay? Aeris needs to cool down and I need a plan… No, I'm going to walk home. I need the time to think… See you soon." He hung up.

Leo was only walking for a few minutes and already began to regret his decision. It was the middle of the winter in Canada, not a fun time to be walking. But he wanted to have some alone time to think about his problem. _It was an accident. Even Aeris can understand that. Or I think she can. With that sort of reaction who knows. I'll just give her some time and then go over to talk to her. I guess that should wait for tomorrow though. She's not one to cool down quickly…unless, of course, she almost gives me a concussion._

He kept on walking. It was another ten minutes until Leo reached Scott's house, which was only a block from his own apartment. He enjoyed the walk, despite the cold.

*knock * *knock* *knock*

The door swung open, revealing the over enthusiastic Scott. "Leo! It's been too long buddy. How are you holding up?"

"Good to see you too Scott. I'm not too great. Aeris is mad as all Hell all because of a misunderstanding. I want to give her a little time to relax and wind down before I try to talk to her."

"Yeah, makes sense. Come on in."

He stepped out of his doorway to allow Leo through. The apartment was messy, but homey. _Scott never changes._

"So, Leo, how long do you want to give her?"

"I have no idea. I'm thinking overnight. That will give her plenty of time and I'll be able to think of what I want to say."

"Sounds good. Feel free to stay here. Give us some time to catch up, god knows it's been so long."

"Sure, thanks bud."

Leo and Scott were longtime friends. In the past, whenever he wasn't with Aeris, Leo was with Scott. In the past few months they barely spoke though. Both just blamed this on not having enough time.

Leo sat down on the couch and relaxed while Scott grabbed a couple of drinks. Then they talked for a few hours, catching up on past events and learning everything about the other's more recent life. After a while the topic of Leo and Aeris's relationship came up.

Leo was smiling as he recalled the past few days. "It's a funny story actually. I won't go into too many details, but I pissed her off something fierce. She then proceeded to knock me unconscious. The next day I wake up and she's wicked nice to me. Push comes to shove, she gets all affectionate, and next thing you know we're dating. Felt like a cheesy romance story if you ask me, but I won't complain."

"Wow. I'll be honest, I never thought you had a chance with her. I'm impressed. What happened yesterday that went so bad?" Scott leaned over in anticipation, like a high school girl listening to gossip.

"The worst case of bad timing, bad luck, and poor decision making to ever come together at one time in my entire life. We were at the mall so she could try on some dresses. Oh, I should mention that I asked her to a dance day after tomorrow. That's what the dresses were for. So she's changing while I just sit there waiting. Suddenly this girl comes out of nowhere and starts hitting on me. I have no idea what to do, so I stand up and try stepping away. Next thing I know she's trying to climb on me or something. I put up my hands to block her but end up grabbing her breasts by mistake. Then as if some deity out there hates me, Aeris steps out of her changing room. Without giving me a chance to explain she storms off and takes the car. That's when I called you." Leo leaned back, practically out of breath from his explanation.

"Wow, that's quite a story." Scott looked amused. "So how are you going to win her back again?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet. Right now my plan is use nice words and my boyish charms." Leo smiled.

"You need a better plan. She won't even talk to you until you show that you're serious. Then you need to prove to her that you love her..." Scott pause a moment. "Do you love her?"

Leo just stared at him, then down at the floor. He let out a long sigh, then silence… "Yeah Scott, I do. I love her."

"Good. Now you just need to prove it to her. Let her know that you would never hurt her. Something romantic."

"Roses?"

"That sounds like something I would do. You need to be more creative. Do something that you would never do, something that will catch her off guard."

Leo thought deep and hard. "A poem. I don't do poetry and she knows it. They're romantic, personal, and express a ton of emotion. Aeris would never expect that."

"Leo the poet." He laughed. "I can't wait to hear this."

"Yea, yea. Not like you're any better." They both laughed as Leo went over to Scott's desk. He sat down and took a pen and paper from one of the drawers. _This is going to be a long night._

"Fuck you Leo!" Aeris was standing outside their apartment. She was alone but needed to yell at someone or something. Since Leo wasn't there she instead took her anger out on the door, banging her fists against it while trying to avoid crying. She cried anyway. After letting a lot of built up anger out she unlocked the door and walked inside. It was empty. She knew Leo wouldn't get home before her, assuming he had the guts to come home at all. Without the car it was a lengthy walk back from the mall. "Fuck" She let out a drawn out moan.

_That back stabbing moron. I look away for two minutes and he's already groping some slut. Leave it to him to ruin something… something great… after just a few days. What the hell did I even see in him? I thought he was different. Not just another guy looking to get in my pants. Maybe I should have… NO! Don't think like that. This isn't your fault. He betrayed you for no reason! But what the hell was he thinking?_

Aeris fell on the couch. She wanted to just wake up next to Leo as though nothing had ever happened. Her eyes closed as tears soaked the fur on her face. Within seconds she was asleep. It was already getting dark outside.

_God I suck at poetry._ Leo was still sitting at Scott's desk staring at the four lines he had written. Hours had already passed but he just couldn't concentrate. _I'm sorry Aeris. It was an accident and nothing else. Why won't you believe me? And how do you want me to prove that I didn't mean to hurt you? I can't just turn back time. You know I would do anything for you… Come on Leo, pull yourself together. _He sat up in the chair and looked at his surroundings. It was dead silent since Scott had left to go somewhere. There was an old clock on the desk that read 6:17. It was getting late. Just as Leo picked up his pen the door opened. Scott entered holding two pizzas.

"You hungry Leo?" Scott walked into the living room area and put the boxes down. "You still like pepperoni, right?"

"Yea, thanks Scott." Leo stood up and stretched. Every muscle in his body felt tight from not moving for so long.

"You've been sitting there for hours. How much have you written?"

"Only a few lines. Not enough, that's for sure. Where did you head off to?" He sat back down on the couch, next to Scott. The aroma from the pizza pierced his nostrils. It was a welcome relief from the musty smell around the desk.

They sat and ate together for about an hour, striking conversation about games and other mutual interests of theirs. When they finished Scott went to bed, leaving Leo alone in the living room. _Who the goes to bed at 7:30 and then gets up at 5? Scott's crazy. I wonder what Aeris is up to. She's probably up writing angry fan fiction._ He sat there for another half hour, thinking. Thinking about what his poem should say, about what had happened over the past day, and about Aeris. More so, he thought about how Aeris would respond to his attempts to win her back. And if she said yes, what would happen after? How long would they stay together. Forever? Would their story end like a Disney movie in which they live happily ever after?

He slowly became drowsy as the thoughts raced through his head. Moments later he was lying on the couch, completely asleep.

**I promised myself I wouldn't cry…**


	9. Chapter 8: Is Gonna Be Alright

**Chapter 8**

**Is Gonna Be All right **

**I have to say that this chapter does contain material intended for MATURE AUDIENCES. **

**Reader discretion is advised. **

**The Day Before the Dance**

"Wake up Leo!"

He attempted to shift positions in his bed in order to get more comfy, but something was preventing that. Leo opened his eyes to see Aeris on top of him.

"Well it's about time you woke up." She was smiling and had her face right in front of Leo's. Her fur was messy and she only had her underwear on, showing that she too had just gotten up.

"Morning Aeris. Ummm… Why are you on me?"

"Because I love you Leo, and I decided it was time to show it." The smile on her face spread even more.

"What do you mean?" Leo was puzzled.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Here." Aeris worked her way under the blankets without ever getting off of Leo. Slowly she began to kiss him while moving her hands onto his. Then she pulled his hands over her breasts, an action he had never expected. "Now do I have to explain everything to you, or do you know what to do from here?"

"I can improvise." Leo wrapped his own tail around hers as he felt Aeris's gentle curves. He always knew her body was beautiful and well-formed, but the thought never even crossed his mind that he would be able to explore it like this.

Still kissing her he fumbled around trying to unhook her bra. After several failed attempts Aeris just smiled and removed it for him. They both smirked at Leo's inability to do it himself. A moment later they were back to their foreplay. After several minutes Aeris began to move her hands towards Leo's boxers. She began to remove them as Leo lost himself in the pure pleasure of the moment. Nothing could ruin this.

"Leo!" Suddenly something blunt but soft hit him in the face. He came to as his body impacted with the floor. "What the hell are you doing? All I hear is this grunting sound and frankly, it's kind of disturbing."

Leo looked around only to find he was back in Scott's apartment. There was a pillow next to him on the floor, which he assumed Scott had just thrown to wake him up. "Seriously, I'm in bed and I hear this grunting or something. Save that stuff for in your own apartment. Though it was funny watching you fall off the couch."

"Sorry Scott. I guess I was dreaming."

"Nuff' said. Want something to eat?"

Leo regained his composure as he stood up. "Sure…" He look at the clock which read 5:15. "Please tell me that clock is wrong."

Scott looked over his shoulder at the clock. "Nope, it's spot on. Why?"

"Because it says that it's five fifteen in the morning. Who the hell gets up that early?'

"I usually start getting ready at five thirty, but someone was making humping sounds in my living room so I couldn't really sleep."

"Whatever, what are you making?" Leo walked over to Scott, who was taking out a pan and a bowl.

"French toast, the stuff is delicious. Did you work on your little love poem last night?"

"No, I went to sleep a little while after you. I should probably finish it, huh?" Leo yawned as he went over to the desk. The same pen and paper were there along with the same couple of lines of bad poetry he had managed to write.

"Leo" Scott was almost yelling despite the fact that the apartment was so small. "Just write. Don't over think it. Trust me, just write your thoughts down and don't even worry about rhyme or anything. And don't be afraid to make it as cliché as possible."

"Just be quiet and let me think." He sat down at the desk. _It's now or never…_

She woke up on the couch, half expecting to have Leo next to her. She quickly realized that the previous day had happened and that Leo had just groped some attractive girl at a clothing store. "Damn it…"

Aeris sat up but didn't get off the couch. She had no desire to do anything. Not eat, not shower, nothing. She felt like something between shit and hell. Eventually she worked up the will to stand and go into her own bedroom. There was nothing for her to do in there either, but at least she could lie on her own bed. _I guess I'm not going to the dance tomorrow. Fuck Leo. _She looked over at her clock. _Almost seven… How long was I asleep?_ She thought back, remembering how she had woken up and fallen back asleep several times over the course of the night. _What happened to Leo? I left him at the mall but he shouldn't have taken that long to get home. I figured he would just show up and start begging. Where is he now?_

"It's finished! It's Effing finished!" Leo jumped out of his seat, almost knocking the lamp off of Scott's desk.

"Calm down man. You finished the poem?" Scott walked over so he could see Leo's work.

"Yeah, and it only took me… five hours."

"Is it good? Let me read it." He grabbed the poem from Leo's hands and read it to himself. Suddenly Scott burst out laughing. "This poem is awful! Or, maybe it's just hilarious. I can't tell… At least she'll know that you wrote it."

"Okay, screw you. I suck at poetry." Leo took the paper back and folded neatly in half.

"Yeah you suck at poetry. So, now what are you going to do?"

"What else can I do? I'm going back to the apartment and I'm going to win Aeris back."

"Good luck, and don't screw this up." Scott turned around, still laughing to himself.

Leo walked to the door and looked back as he opened it. "Thanks bud. We've got to get together more… So I'll see you later." With that he left, putting on his jacket while walking down the front stairs. It was February so the weather was still quite cold.

It was only a ten minute walk to his own apartment so he arrived about quarter after ten. Leo ascended the stairs, thinking about what he would say to Aeris and trying to figure out how he could win her over. As he reached the last step to his floor the door came within sight. Everything came down to this moment. Every choice he made up until this moment no longer mattered. This was the final boss, the last dungeon. This would be the last time he had to fight bowser, the final mask needed to free the giants that would later prevent the moon from crashing into Termina, the one bullet he would need to fire to kill Zakhaev and stop the Ultranationalists. Now or never.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

…nothing…

"Aeris, you there?"

Aeris hadn't slept at all since she lay down on her bed. At the same time she had no intention of getting up until she heard a knock at the door. Partially out of curiosity and partially due to having nothing else to do she went to see who it was. Just as she went turn the doorknob Leo's voice came through.

"Aeris, you there? Listen, I don't know if you are, but I need to talk to you. I'm sorry I upset you. I could go on for hours saying how it wasn't my fault and how I'm so sorry, but I know that's not what you need to hear. Aeris, I… I… shit…" He stopped talking, but she could hear his heavy breathing on the far side of the door. "Okay, I don't really know what to say, I'm bad at this thinking on my feet stuff. Here, I wrote you a poem." He was silent again. Aeris just wondered how he wrote a poem and suspected that he may have gone to the internet for help.

"Okay, here goes everything…

Aeris

Pink and beautiful

She's worth the world to me

And I screwed up

Mistakes were made

And now she's mad

If only I could fix this

If only I knew how

Turns out that even though

She's only been mad a little while

My world is already hurting

I want her, I need her

Like a junkie needs cocaine

Please Aeris, let me fix this

Because I am by no means a poet

But I love you, and I want you to know it

…"

There was complete silence as neither cat spoke a word.

_I hope she's in there. This would suck if she wasn't even home. And god, that poem was terrible. But if she liked it, and if she knows I wrote it with love… maybe, just maybe…_

Nothing…

Leo turned with his head hung low and took a single step. Then he heard the door slowly open behind him. He turned to see Aeris standing there. Tears were soaking the fur around her eyes, but there was a grin on her face.

"Aeris, I…" She cut him off by raising her hand.

"Leo, that was painful." The seriousness in her voice was beyond belief. It was obvious that she was hurt. "So please, never write another poem again or else I will leave you forever."

"Aeris!" Leo practically pounced on her as he hugged on her. They were both crying, but these were tears of joy, not sorrow.

"Leo, I love you too. I'm sorry I got so mad."

"Don't be. I did grab some other girl's boobs. It was an accident and that girl was basically climbing on me, but still."

"Just be quiet before you say anything else stupid." She began kissing him. Their lips locked as time seemed to freeze on their floor, in their world. Eventually they parted in order to step inside.

"So, what the hell happened to you? Where did you spend the night? I was here the whole time and didn't see you around even once."

"I went to Scott's. After you left I walked there and he let me spend the night. I think I prefer the bed with you over his couch though. You?"

"I came back here and just sat around." She let out a long yawn. "I ended up falling asleep on the couch, though sleep is an overstatement. I probably slept for about an hour in total."

"Yeah, Scott woke me up at five this morning. Crazy bastard. But I'm just glad you don't completely hate me now." Leo smiled lazily, showing that he was still quite tired.

"How about this, why don't you go to bed and take a nap. Maybe I'll join you in a little while."

"In the middle of the morning? Aeris, you dirty girl." This time he let a perverted smile slip onto his face. Aeris gave a slight laugh in response.

"Don't get too excited. I don't think either of us are completely up to that right now."

"You're no fun Aeris, you know that? If you want to join me my bed is open." With that he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and walked into his room. Aeris remained where she was, smiling because she had Leo back. After coming out of her daze she went into Leo's room where he was already asleep in the bed. A warm feeling spread through her as she gazed upon the one she loved. Slowly she removed her clothing down to her underwear and joined him. His bed was already quite warm but she still pressed her body against his. He purred softly in response to her closeness and she returned the gesture. Together they slept, forgetting all the trouble the previous day had brought and enjoying the pure pleasure of the moment.

A few hours passed before Leo awoke again. There was a large warm mass on top of him which he knew was Aeris before even opening his eyes. He felt her lips pressing against his own and so he returned the motion. Slowly at first, but then quicker and quicker, they kissed. As they continued Aeris took his hands and moved them to her breasts. "How do I compare to that slut at the mall?"

He replied calmly and meaningfully, "you're beyond comparison." To this Aeris accelerated her actions, continuing the kissing but moving her own hands down Leo's body. She soon found his boxers, which contained what she was looking for. As Aeris slowly grasped her target Leo let out a slight yelp. He hadn't been expecting it, but he was far from complaining.

He tilted his head away from her for a brief moment, "Are you sure Aeris?" His question was short but serious.

She wasted no time with her response, "Yes Leo, I'm sure. I love you and I want you to know it." With that Aeris removed her own underwear to expose her most private self. Cautiously she allowed Leo's member to enter her. The feeling of pleasure was beyond belief. His entire body buckled up in response to the feeling. She placed her hands on his shoulders as she began a rhythmic motion of up and down. Her claws extended into his shoulder blades as his did into her sides. There was no pain though as the pure feeling of contentment from the moment blocked out every other feeling. She began mewing from the moment.

Suddenly she felt it. A warm feeling inside of her as her entire body gave in. Nothing could ever match the euphoria she felt at that exact moment. Both her body and mind agreed that this was right. Leo clearly agreed as she felt him releasing inside of her. The pair both gave one last exaggerated movement as every bit of tension and emotion was released. Then it stopped. Together they caught their breath, each staring into the other's eyes. Aeris leaned over and kissed Leo on the lips one last time.

"God you're beautiful Aeris…"

**Done. And talk about ending on a high note. Whew… I hope ever one enjoyed this ending. This was my most difficult chapter to write because that darn poem took forever and the last scene had to be worded perfectly. But, I think it worked. It doesn't sound like a porno but still has the detail required to show the intimacy. If anyone disagrees, please say so in a comment. I love your opinions. **

** ~Bogren**


	10. Chapter 9: When Love Prevails

**Chapter 9**

**When Love Prevails**

**Before anyone asks or comments I will admit, the beginning of this chapter moves fairly quickly. There was nothing I could do about it, believe me. But I hope you enjoy the rest. **

_Why does time fly when you're happy? Why can't moments like this last forever?_ Leo gazed at Aeris, who was lying next to him in bed. He sat up and brushed a strand of her hair from her face. She purred softly in response. To Leo the sound was something beyond heavenly.

"Damn it Leo, why do you have to move so much?" She allowed a small smile to show on her face without opening her eyes. "Why can't you sleep in like normal people?"

Leo gave a slight laugh under his breath. "Well kitten, for starters, we have plans today."

This time she opened her eyes and rolled over to face Leo. "What plans?" She looked legitimately confused.

"I have a dance with a certain girl planned for tonight. I'd hate to miss it."

Aeris gave him a questioning look but still maintained her smile. "Well aren't you all romantic all of a sudden. Since we're awake anyway, perhaps we should solve one problem."

Leo laughed again, this time more openly. "Yeah, I'm pretty hungry too. What's breakfast for today?"

"That's not the problem I was referring to." Aeris sat up next to Leo, pulling the sheets up to cover her chest. "Due to recent events I still don't have a dress and you don't have anything nice to wear."

"This mean another trip to the mall?" He began getting out of bed, already knowing the answer to his question.

"Yup, but I won't make you walk home this time. I promise." She followed Leo off the bed. Both put on their items of clothing left on the floor from the night before. "I'm going to take a shower and you should do the same. Then we'll head out. Okay?"

Leo nodded and gave a slight grunt of acknowledgement. With that Aeris left the room and proceeded into her own, leaving Leo to himself. He stepped into his bathroom and removed the clothes that he had donned mere seconds earlier. With that Leo stepped into his shower, enjoying the warmth that spread through his body.

Meanwhile, Aeris was doing the same in her room. However, she first went to her dresser, from which she removed a small package. She took a single tablet and swallowed it with some water she kept next to her bed. Happy that she had one less thing to worry about she pulled her top over her head, revealing the undergarments beneath it. Carefully, she removed each piece. Unhooking her bra and sliding her more delicate piece down her shapely legs. Once she was fully unclothed she gazed at herself in the mirror. As she looked at her body Aeris realized that she was truly beautiful and she appreciated the fact that Leo loved her for more than just her looks. With that train of thought slowly departing she entered her shower. The water was warm as it trickled down her body. Each drop massaged her on impact.

This continued for several minutes while the two cats enjoyed their showers. Neither thought about anything, but instead just lived happily through the moment.

They exited their rooms at about the same time, both feeling clean and refreshed. Aeris went straight to the door where she put on her coat and shoes while Leo grabbed two snack bars from the kitchen. He tossed one to Aeris and then put on his own coat. Together, they went to the car and Aeris drove them to the mall.

"So what's the plan?" They were pulling into the parking lot when Leo finally said something.

"We can split up and I'll go get the dress I liked while you get your tux, or we can stay together and just get our clothes one at a time. The later will take longer though."

"Oh no, I may have to spend more time with you." The sarcasm in his voice was heavy.

"Don't be such a smart ass." She gently backhanded the rear of his head. "Let's get my dress first, I know which one I want so that won't take too long."

"Fair enough. Do you think we can stop for some pretzels on the way out? That place in the food court is wicked good." The eagerness in his eyes was showing as they stepped out of the car.

"From Uncle Manny's? Sure, we can split one." As they entered the mall a wall of warmth hit them. How they kept the building so warm without costing a fortune was a mystery to her, but Aeris didn't complain. It felt nice to be out of the cold yet again.

The couple walked to the store together in relative silence while holding each other's' hands. The simple gesture sent pure bliss and content through Leo's entire being. Aeris, meanwhile, just enjoyed the moment.

Upon entering the store Aeris went straight to where the dress she wanted was hanging while Leo looked around the room. In the corner he noticed something. It was something he hated, and Leo didn't hate easily. He stared at it until the girl from a few days prior turned around and saw him. She gave him a smile that was halfway between evil and longing. Leo clenched his fist but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Aeris. "Let it go Leo, this bitch isn't worth it."

"Come on Aeris. I know you want to hurt her just as bad." Leo was actually itching for a fight, which took Aeris completely by surprise. He was never one to be violent unless it was in a video game. But she just stared at him, giving him eyes that simply said 'don't do it.' After a moment he obliged. "Yeah, fine. You all set?"

"I found the dress. Let me just pay then we can go find a tux." She quickly paid and they left. On the far end of the mall there was a Gentlemen's Building Designed for Storage that sold nicer men's outfits. There they found a black tux that wasn't too expensive. After making the purchase Leo practically sprinted to Uncle Manny's where he bought a large salted pretzel. When Aeris finally caught up to him he had already eaten half of it.

"Pig," she said as she grabbed it from his hands and took a bite. During the entire walk to the car Leo fought to retrieve his lost pretzel but Aeris kept it away from him, taking another bite every few seconds. Before long the pretzel was finished, leaving Aeris with a satisfied smile and Leo with a slight depression.

Following a short car ride they arrived at the apartment. As soon as the exited the car Leo ran over and picked Aeris up. He not so gracefully carried her up the stairs and into their home, where he dropped on the couch. "What was that about?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just feeling romantic today." He glanced at the clock, which read 2:15. "Okay, we should leave for the dance in about two hours."

"Sounds about right. Think we should change?" She raised an eyebrow, showing that there was something she wasn't saying, but Leo didn't catch on.

"Yeah, I guess we should." He kissed her hand. "I will see you shortly, my lady." With that he walked into his room, leaving Aeris on the couch giggling at his attempts to be romantic. As soon as Leo's door closed she held up her paw and slowly counted down from three. Right after she reached one Leo's door opened once again. "Um, Aeris?"

She answered sarcastically. "Yes, Leo?"

"Where are the clothes we just bought?" He looked legitimately confused.

"Well Leo, last time I checked they were in the back seat of the car. I was going to grab them when someone swept me off my feet and carried me inside."

"Now that definitely makes things difficult… Do you think I should go get them?" He was already walking towards the door.

She strategically placed her paw over her face. "Yeah Leo, I think you should." As soon as she finished speaking the door shut behind him.

Leo ran down the stairs, nearly tripping twice, and over to the car. They never locked it so he easily simple opened the back seat. On it there were two outfits laid out on hangars. His tux was on top so he grabbed it first. Underneath it was Aeris's dress, which he hadn't been able to get a good look at yet. It was dark red and had threads woven in that reflected the light.

After staring at the dress for a few seconds Leo ran back up the stairs. This time he did trip on the top step. "OW!"

Aeris opened the door to find Leo lying face down on the floor. "Yeah, I thought you were acting a bit too mature and romantic. You alright?" She leaned over Leo in order to help him up. When she saw his face it was covered in blood. "Holy Hell! Leo, your nose is bleeding."

"It is?" He put his hand up to his face. When he removed it he gazed at the blood.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad too. Let's get you inside before you get blood on my dress." She helped Leo up and the entered the apartment. Once inside she handed him a napkin. "Go in your bathroom and use some tissues until you stop bleeding. Then wash your face."

"That's how you stop a bloody nose? I thought you were supposed to just blow it and get blood everywhere." He smiled at the gory scene unfolding in his mind.

"Okay, that's just gross." She glanced at the clock. "We only have an hour and forty minutes so hurry up." With that he ran into his room then his bathroom, leaving Aeris to herself once again. _This is going to be a long night. But to be honest, I can't wait. _She picked her dress up off the ground and took it to her room.

Aeris hooked the hanger of her dress on the top of her door. She stared at it, admiring each and every feature. She was very much content with her choice.

Meanwhile, Leo was in his bathroom trying to stop the bleeding. _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. This thing won't stop. Okay Leo… think. In every cop show or movie, when the bad guy punches the cop they just shove tissues in his nose. Makes sense. Let's see…_ He looked around the room but found that his tissue box was empty. To make matters worse, the napkin Aeris had given him was soaked and starting to drip through. The counter and sink were already covered in small pools of blood. _Why is my nose bleeding so bad? It doesn't even make sense. So no tissues, what else?_ Glancing around again he noticed a roll of toilet paper that he was yet to mount on his dispenser. After a moment of deep pondering, he found a solution that anyone else would have thought obvious. Leo took two squares of toilet paper, scrunched them up into two small balls, and shoved one into each nostril. Smiling in satisfaction that this would stop the bleeding, he proceeded to wash the blood soaked fur on his face and then disrobe in order to change into his tux.

Aeris had just finished removing her clothes down to her underwear. Carefully, as to not create any wrinkles, she slid the dress around her body. It fit nicely, flowing with each curve of her figure. The slit down the side on the lower half exposed enough of her leg to interest Leo She then slowly brushed her hair, gradually making it flow down her neck and onto her shoulder. Next she pulled two long white gloves over her arms. Finally, she put two round earrings onto each ear. Looking into the mirror she was content with the image it revealed. Knowing Leo would feel the same way Aeris exited her bathroom. As she did she heard something halfway between a yelp, a cry of pain, and an angry shout coming from Leo's room. At first she went to investigate, but decided it better to just let him solve his own problems.

Leo had his tux on and was staring at himself in the mirror. It was black with a red vest and white shirt underneath. _I look like a regular James Bond._ The Bond theme song played in his head as he shaped his hands like a pistol and aimed at the mirror. When he did so he noticed the toilet paper bunches were still in his nose. Deciding sufficient time had passed for the bleeding to stop he pinched the exposed ends of both pieces and pulled. What he hadn't prepared for was the fact that he put in far too much paper. The blood had dried and now each piece was a solid chunk of dried blood that was still attached to the inside of his nostrils. When he pulled the paper it separated from the sensitive walls of his nose, causing a sharp and blinding pain. To make matters worse, the papers had swelled due to the blood and were now larger than the entrances to his nostrils. As they passed through they stretched the openings, causing even more pain. He yelled in pain but instead let out a very loud childish yelp.

A moment after Aeris exited her room Leo came stumbling out of his own. She was surprised to see his outfit wasn't covered in blood. "How are you holding up? That was a lot of blood."

"Let's just say that next time my nose bleeds let me bleed out."

Aeris checked the clock one last time and noticed that it was about time for them to leave. She went to the door and began to slip on her heels. "Come on Leo. Put your shoes on, we need to go." He didn't respond. "Leo?" She looked up to find Leo standing and staring at her. His mouth was hanging slightly open. "Leo!" She yelled to get his attention.

"Huh? Sorry. It's just… wow. Aeris… you look amazing." He smiled awkwardly. Aeris blushed, making the fur on her cheeks turn from white to a deep red.

"Come on Leo, let's go." She was relaxed and glad that she had the most amazing guy on Earth… or at least in the apartment.

Aeris walked down the stairs with Leo in close pursuit. They entered their light blue sedan and drove off. Aeris was behind the steering wheel with Leo practically drooling while gazing at her from the passenger seat. The arrived at their destination after about ten minutes and Leo rushed out to open Aeris's door. She smiled and they walked inside holding hands. There was a nicely dressed man standing at the door.

"How are you two doing tonight?"

"Good, and you?" Aeris answered first.

"I am doing very well, thank you for asking. I assume you're here for the dance. Do you have tickets?" The doorman looked at Aeris who then looked at Leo. She had forgotten to remind Leo to grab them.

Much to her surprise he reached into his pocket and produced to small pieces of laminated cardstock, which he handed to the man. After a brief glance he handed them back to Leo. "Thank you very much. You two can go right in."

Leo turned and smiled at Aeris. She took his hand and they walked inside.

They entered a large, open room. It was darker, but colored lights made everything glow red. There were quite a few people already in the room and a handful entered behind them. A few tables were set up at one end with food and drinks. There was a dance floor in front of another table covered in sound systems. Behind the speakers were two DJs playing romantic songs.

No one was dancing yet so Aeris pulled Leo towards the food tables. He followed without question.

"Well this is nice." Leo casually walked with Aeris while observing the room.

"Yeah, I'm surprised there are this many people here." They arrived at a table and Aeris sat down.

"I'm going to get a drink. Do you want something?" Leo asked.

"Sure. Some punch sounds good. Thanks." Aeris was still looking around at the assorted couples. She saw someone who looked like Dennis with a much older woman at another table, two black cats that were getting a bit too close for public, and a light brown cat dancing with an amber one, both looking quite content. Leo returned with the drinks and sat down next to her.

"Hey, did I see Dennis over there?" Leo asked while pointing towards the table Aeris had observed earlier.

"Yeah, I think so. But who's that with him? His mom?" Aeris added a slight laugh to her last comment.

Leo laughed too. "Probably, knowing him I wouldn't be surprised." The both sighed, attempting to think of what else to say.

Aeris finally broke the silence. "So, what do you think?"

"Think about what?" He gave a confused look.

"I don't know... Us, the future, this thing of ours, anything."

"I'm not really sure. There's a lot more to come. But hey, with any luck, we'll be together for a long time." Leo leaned back and let a small smile show. He hadn't thought much about the future, but now that he did he began to look forward to it.

Aeris waited a few seconds before responding in an attempt to find the right thing to say. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

"Ladies and gentlemen," one of the DJs was talking over the speakers. His voice carried well and his emotions seemed perfect for the evening, "Now it's time for tonight's first slow dance. If you guys want to get your lady friends out here, now would be the best time."

"Come on Aeris. I believe I owe you at least one slow dance." Leo took her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Then I guess it's time I collect." They walked out to the dance floor, taking a spot next to the brown and amber cats Aeris had noticed earlier. The music began to play and both instantly recognized the song. It was the same song as the one Aeris had used to train Leo a few days earlier, 'Don't Want to Miss a Thing.'

As it played they held each other close. After a minute Aeris buried her head in Leo's shoulder, who then placed his own on hers. _I've said it once and I've said it a hundred times. She's amazing. Aeris, I hope you never leave me. I promise I'll never let you go, I'll never hurt you, and I'll never make you regret what we have. I promise._

_He's changed so much. A few weeks ago I thought this guy was the laziest and dumbest piece of crap in Toronto. Now he's changed so much. It seems like he matured overnight just for me. Do I really mean that much to him? If I do Leo, I promise, you won't regret a moment of this._

The music continued playing, both cats just stood there. Swaying back and forth, head on head on shoulder. "Hey…" Aeris lifted her head to better hear what Leo had to say. Instead of saying anything he kissed her. His lips locked with her own. This was the ultimate moment. Pure content mixed with pure happiness. Nothing could ruin this. At this moment they knew that the most basic aspect of life… is love.

**Epilogue**

It was early fall and the leaves were just starting to change. Leo Leonardo stood on the footbridge overlooking a pond, a small box in his hands. He knew what he had to do, but doing it would be the hard part. The next few words he would say would determine the rest of his life. He had to be perfect.

He heard footsteps from behind. When he looked he saw two cats that he recognized walking over the bridge. He couldn't remember where he saw them, but the light brown one was holding the amber one close to his body. Clearly they were a happy couple. Turning back to the water Leo continued to wait. The anxiety was killing him but he knew that patience was important. All good things take time. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a pink blur. More importantly it was his pink blur.

Aeris stepped onto the bridge and leaned on the railing next to him. They were both silent, just gazing at the peaceful water below them. Without a word Leo pulled his hand from his pocket and knelt down next to Aeris. She turned, at first surprised, but when she saw what he was holding she just smiled. He had a small box, inside of which was a ring. Aeris took it and slid it onto her finger. A perfect fit. She smiled at Leo and he smiled back. He stood up and hugged her. Together, they walked back to their home, eagerly awaiting their lives to come.

**I love a cliché. **

**I hope you all loved reading this story a lot more than I enjoyed writing it. As I said, this was my first story so the style changes a few times throughout. Think of it was a test palate for me to find how I like to write. Anyway, I'm happy with the ending and I look forward to reading your reviews. **

**May you be poor in misfortune, **

**rich in blessings, **

**slow to make enemies, **

**quick to make friends. **

**But rich or poor, **

**quick or slow, **

**may you know nothing but happiness**

**from this day forward.**

**~Bogren**


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